Sheraton is giving away free nights in dozens of its locations as part of a campaign to promote the $6 billion it has spent on renovations. It's a missed opportunity to do more for its brand and business.
Staying at a Sheraton has always been a hit-or-miss proposition. I don't know if the differences in facilities are due to uneven franchisees and/or poor central management, but I can attest from personal experience that some Sheratons have been shockingly terrible, and others have qualified as just stunningly OK. An overhaul has been long overdue, and it's a really good thing.
But the project is incomplete; less than half of the hotel's locations have been updated. I understand the chain's desire to promote what its chief brand guru calls "a new beginning for the brand," but it's putting the rooms before the proverbial construction crews. I wonder how many people will presume that all of the rooms have been repaired due to the promotion, and then learn upon check-in that they were wrong?
And let's see if I get the value proposition correct: it plans to give away the newly-updated rooms, and charge regular prices for the crappy ones. Isn't that bass-ackwards? I would have considered:
- Promote process, not accomplishments. Why couldn't Sheraton be the hotel chain that is always being refreshed? Staying current is an ongoing effort, by definition, so imagine if the campaign didn't try to prompt guest experiences on a particular day (the promotion is giving away 2,100 rooms, all on October 23), and instead created reasons to visit the hotels all the time?
- Involve people with more than a giveaway. Sampling is a great tool and I'm all for it, but it dares visitors to draw contrasts between what's been improved and what's not. Why not build this content into the campaign itself, so maybe ask visitors to suggest improvements, or visit older rooms for lower prices, etc.?
- Establish a brand "reset." If this month is truly a new beginning of the brand, shouldn't every Sheraton frequent guest program participant have some stake in the relaunch? You'd they they'd get the free nights first, not net-new strangers to the brand, since they've earned it through their willingness to stay in the old rooms. How about finding some meter that starts at zero and bestows new awards to all visitors?
Again, credit to Sheraton for putting its money where its brand is...in the quality of its rooms. But such a commitment deserves a more thoughtful and sustainable communications strategy. Its rooms aren't ready yet.
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